Panther
by MidnightCharm
Summary: Maximum and Iggy live in The Zoo. They live in constant boredom until a special boy in black rescues them. They are launched in to a world they didn't know even know existed. follow Max through lies, betrayals, and maybe true love. Oh, did I mention Max and Iggy are Black Panthers? (Adopted from Wing-Lover)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello guys, I adopted this awesome story from my best friend Wing-Lover I am going to change the story quite a bit but I will keep somewhat to the original story. Well my friend and I came up with this idea last year when I when we were in San Diego Zoo. We saw this beautiful Panther walking pacing back and forth along the cage. It was so pitiful. Anyways I hope everyone enjoys. I also hope the reads of the original story like it as well. **

**~Charm **

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><p><em>We ran through the lush green forest searching for prey. Okay, maybe not running, more like me trying to keep up with keep up with my mother's quick trot. My back was only up to her shoulder. I am the last of my three cub litter, I had one brother and one sister. I didn't really mourn them because honestly, it happens all the time here. Animals died but you just have to keep going on with life.<em>  
><em>Anyways, I was about to begin training so one day I could hunt and live by myself. My mother had made it clear that I wouldn't be participating in this hunt, I was only there to observe. It was only a little after sun down, but shadows already covered the forest floor. My mother slowed down quickly, she signaled with her tail that I should keep quiet.<em>  
><em>I then saw what she saw. A lone female antelope stands in the middle of the clearing, it seems almost to easy. She pads forward slowly, her footfalls not making a sound. Her dark fur blended in perfectly with the dusk light. The antelope hasn't moved, it just stands still with its head facing away from us. Now my mother was now within ten feet of the mammal. Her ears swivel away from the deer and she crouches against the ground. Something is wrong.<em>

_I hear a quiet pop and my mother bolts away from the clearing towards me. Her ears are bent in confusion, but she gives the signal to follow her. We run urgently, but silently. She jumps over large roots and rocks and every few seconds her head whips around to look behind us. "What are we running from?" I think to myself. My mother doesn't run. She just doesn't, even when three cheetahs attacked her. She always stood her ground and fought it out, but not this time. Something was really wrong. We reach the area where we live, she stops beneath the tree we usually sleep in. She quickly rubs her head against mine, her dark eyes told me how much she loved me. My mother then nudges me towards the large tree. I hook my claws into rough bark and climb up to the lowest branch. I stop to catch my breath and look down. my mother was trying to climb up beside me but her eyes kept closing._

_Eventually she just slumped down at the base of the tree. I let out a cry and jump down from the branch. The fall wasn't high enough to hurt me, just stun me momentarily. Once I regain my balance I run over to my mother. I nudge her softly and curl up beside her. I then her loud rustles in the forest behind me, which I had mistaken for small rodents earlier._  
><em>Three predators walked out of the thick undergrowth.<em>  
><em>"Alrighty boys, pick it up and carry it to the truck!" I was very startled from the loud, foreign noises. I almost flinch but I remember my mother showing me how to by still when in the presence of predators. I must blend in with my mothers fur because they don't notice me. Two of the strange large animals that walked on two legs walked over cautiously.<em>  
><em>"You sure it's gone, boss?"<em>  
><em>"Yea, yea, yeah. Load it up." The leader ordered.<em>

_Two of the predators grabbed a leg of my mother each and begin pulling. "Damn boss it's heavy, this fur will get us a lot!" Keep still and they won't see you I chant to myself. I stay in the same little ball as my mother's no longer warm body was being taken from me. Only then did I see the trail of red following my mother. _  
><em>"Boss, you might want to see this, I hope you brought a tranquilizer with you" one of them said tensely .<em>

_"What?" the leader asked, his footfalls were getting closer and closer to me. He smiled a wicked smile._  
><em>"Even better, a cub along with a huge mama." He stepped away from me and I was relived, he didn't see me. He grabbed a bulky, black object and loaded it with a colorful dart. He pulled the trigger with a small pop and I felt a horrible shooting pain in my back. I almost immediately feel drowsy.<em>  
><em>"What are we going to do with it boss?"<em>

_"Probably sell it to a zoo, they won't ask questions about a cub. They will just want a massive new money maker for themselves," he answered dryly._

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><p>I wake up when the lights come on. Every single morning they turn on the lights at the exact same time, one hour before the zoo allows everyone to flood on the paved sidewalk and see all the "amazing" exhibits.<p>

I groan to myself and blink against the harsh florescent lights. I lift my head off of my dark paws and look around the room I've been in millions and a half times. The floors were a smooth stone and the walls were gray concrete blocks. I am in an area that is about six by ten feet. I was separated from the cages beside me by a mesh floor-to-celling fence.

I stand and stretch my muscles. I see my companion in the cage beside me pressed against the mesh fence. I see that he isn't awake yet. How he sleeps through the horrid light always amazes me. I pad over to the side of my cage and push my claws out of my paw and poke him through the mesh.

He leaps up and growls at me."Really Max. Really. You keep me up all last night and now you wake me up super early!"

I pin my ears down in mock sadness, "Wow Iggy. I mean I didn't know you felt that way."

He purrs, "I know you love me Maxie darling."

He stretches and goes over to his water bowl and laps at the stale liquid. We are both probably around three years old. The zoo always tells the visitors that we are brother and sister but we really aren't.

Iggy is short for Ignite. He called himself Ignite because his fur is the color of dark volcanic rock and you know volcanos ignite. Yeah. I am called Maximum or Max for short.

I don't really know why I have just always been called that.  
>Iggy's cage is the left of mine and there is an empty cage to my right. The door at the end of the hall opens and a male human walks in.<p>

He carries two bowls of raw meat. He opens a small door on the front of my cage, slides the bowl in and quickly closes it. He does the same for Iggy. I don't begin eating until the human closes my cage door. I only do this so he doesn't get scared. Humans spook easily.

When Iggy and I are done eating they open the doors in the back of our cages that led outside. It is a very large enclosure and three or more panthers could comfortably live with us. There is a thirty foot fence surrounding the enclosure. Towards the front of the area was a large pond with a log over it, Iggy and I usually don't go on the log but sometimes it is fun to play on.

In the back in the enclosure there was large stone cave with a large mouth. We had two caves actually there was also one against the front of the area were the visitors could view us through very thick glass.  
>We pad out in the soft grass and head towards the cave in the back. Lets just call it The Cave. We lie down in on the cool stone floor of The Cave. Life here is so boring, the only fun we get is when we chase each other around and some of the shows the humans do with us.<p>

I flop on my side and look at the empty sidewalks. "Iggy..." I whine, "I'm bored."

"You're always bored Maxie," he explains slowly as if talking to a cub, "it just can't be helped."

"Don't call me Maxie," I growl playfully at him and swat at his ear. He ducks and leaps on me.

"Oh it's on!"

Our swatting becomes a full blown tussle. Of course we keep our claws in our paws we don't really want to hurt each other. We are a swirling ball of black fur. We get in tussles pretty often but the joy of the battle still shines in our eyes.  
>We roll down the grassy hill towards the pond. "Iggy no the-," I start before we land in the warm water of the pond. I spit water out of my mouth, "the pond Iggy. The pond."<p>

"Oh Maxie, look what you did," he said while shaking his soaking fur out all over me.

"Really, Ig?" I walk over to the edge of the pond and drag me self out. My poor fur, I think. I begin licking my soaking fur and spit out dirt. Iggy settles beside me but instead of licking himself he lets the summer sun dry him.

The visitors are beginning to trickle into the park. I really could care less about the adult humans but the cubs were so cute. Sometimes I go the glass cave (the one in the front) and just watch them. I even put my paw against the glass when they tap it with their fat baby fingers. Iggy laughs at me but I don't care.

Iggy and I sleep in trees most of the day, right until closing time. I climb down, trying not to wake Iggy (we slept on the same branch). I hop down, my paws hitting the ground with a thud. I walk over to the glass cave. Around this time the sun makes rainbows all through the camber.

I lie down and watch the rainbows make designs on my dark fur. Most of the visitors are trying to see the "cool" animals before the zoo closes. Those animals are toward the front of the park while my enclosure was in the back.

I am kind of surprised to see a lone teenager walking towards me. Most humans stay in a group of friends or family. It was obviously a male judging by how short his black head hair is. He wore all black and had onyx eyes. I was confused, humans usually don't always have all the same colors.

The only color on him was a blue amulet around his neck. It glows. I felt an odd prickle in the back of my mind. He seems interesting unlike many humans. I stand up and walk towards the glass and press my body against it. He was lucky, he could leave, he could be free. I'm stuck here forever, Iggy is like my brother and I love him but I have to be here with him until I die.  
>I sigh and lay down. I prop my head on top of my paws and look at him again. When you really look at his eyes they are onyx but they have little silver flecks in them.<p>

He turns to leave and the prickle in my mind goes away.

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><p><strong>Hey I hope that everyone likes I want... um lets say four reviews. (YAY 2000 words! Don't start to expect it)Yep FOUR REVIEWS IF YOU WANT AN UPDATE <strong>

**~Charm **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone I'm sorry the update was a little late. I am working on the next chapter of Kidnapped, don't worry I am still working on it. You guys gave me four reviews in like two days. I am not complaining, but my goodness I need to make chapters even faster. Okay now I am going to answer reviews. Oh this was 1057 words before my note.**

**HitsukarinLover29: Thank you I do try, here is your update.**

**Avolonmagic: *bows* Thanks.**

**Snarky-Teen: Pft I knew it wasn't sarcastic**

**BiteMeBro552: Here you go**

**Ffandom: Well that wasn't very polite but you know… here**

**Veterinarian: That was a major reason why I started this story *salutes to you* **

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><p>Max POV<p>

The Iggster and I pace up and down the fence closest to the visitors. Iggy is just as agitated as I am and his tail whips from side to side.

"Iggy, calm down, we go through this every month," I try to say soothingly. Allow me to explain, every month the humans feel like they haven't torture enough by caging us so they decide to "train" us. This basically means they try to make us do impossible trick and electrocute us with metal rods. Last time Iggy got a particularly bad shock on his leg. He could hardly step on it for a week.

"Max, I really don't want to go," he tells me not even trying to lighten the mood. I mean of course it is understandable. I don't enjoy it but I know that it is something I have to go through. Iggy and I both know it is best not to try to fight them.

They come around mid-day. Like always at theses times there are no visitors at our pen. The open the doors that led to the rooms that Iggy and I sleep in. We both walk at the same slow pace up to the doors. I duck under the wooded rim of the door and get the same chill I get whenever my paws hit cold concrete. Iggy and my eyes meet through the mesh wall. I can see his discomfort.

The doors close behind us with a loud snap. A human comes into the room and puts a tray of food in each of the cells (not the empty one of course). We gulp down the food as fast as possible. It contains an ingredient that makes us pass out so that they can relocate us to the training area.

Iggy and I simultaneously start quickly moving around the cell, the more our hearts pump the faster it makes us sleep. As I begin to feel drowsy I lay down and wait for it to overcome me. A horrible feeling if you ask, it is like someone yanking you down a huge dark hole.

I wake up in the training area. It is a massive circular room with one way glass walls. The floor was an unnatural white that seemed to reflect the florescent lights. I look around and see that there is one human in the room with me. Where is Iggy? He is usually in the same training room as me. The human walks towards me.

I am shocked to see the same dark human from the other day approaching me. I feel the same slight tingle in the back of my head. As he comes closer I growl. He smells different than others of his species. I sit back on my haunches and try to figure him out. He has the same blue amulet around his neck.

He is now within five feet of me but I don't feel hostile. It is something about him I don't understand, his lack of natural fear of a predator that is obviously stronger than me. He smiles a half smile and clicks a collar and rope around my neck. This isn't okay, these collars make me feel restrained, not in control. I hate it.

He leans down beside me, his head within inches of my strong jaws and whispers, "Just wait."

I'm confused, I usually cannot understand the harsh sounds of the human's language but I was able to perfectly understand his words. I glare at him but I listen and I slightly rigidly walk in the direction of the rope.

He doesn't yank the rope but it doesn't have any slack either. He leads me to the side of the room and says something to the wall. It must be a smart wall because an open door appeared and let us walk through it. The door closes behind us and he stops. He turns around and takes off the collar.

Okay, now I am really confused. A human just let me, a fully grown black panther, go. Without anything around my neck. I look at him in interest.

"What is he doing," I growl to myself.

"Well, you see," he smirks at me, "I am saving you."

"Why would I need saving? I am perfectly happy here," I know it isn't the truth as soon as I say it.

"Oh, really?" he questioned.

"How do you understand me?"

"We need to get going, the keepers will be coming soon." He says disregarding my question completely.

"What about Iggy?!" He raises an eyebrow.

"Your friend from the zoo, yes he has been released as well," he looks at his watch. "And he is probably already at his destination." He shakes his head and says under his breath, "We would be to, if someone wasn't taking forever with questions."

I growl but follow him at a brisk pace. We go through another set of doors and step outside. We are in front of a massive yet sleek building. He opens doors on the back of a large metal thing on wheels and says, "It's is a van." I didn't need to know but at least now I know what to call it.

"Hop in," he says impatiently.

Pushy. I jump inside, the van sways slightly with my weight. He slams the door and goes through the front and makes the "van" growl very loudly. I wince at the painfully loud sound. The van lurches forward and I slid my claws out trying to grip the metal floor. The only thing I accomplish is making a horrible screeching sound. I slam into the back of the van with a thud.

Ouch, I shake my head and lay down on the floor against the door. Now that van had begun to move it actually had a soothing motion and sound. I find myself falling asleep.

I wake up when I hit the ground. It takes me a moment to realize that someone had opened the door resulting in me falling three feet to the not so comforting ground. I jump to my feet and glare at the dark human.

"Really," I growl. It looks like he was trying to hold in a laugh.

"Where are we?" I asked. We were in the middle of the woods.

"We are at The Cave."

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><p><strong>Not a cave THE CAVE. Yay! Well thanks for reading I would just love eight reviews. BYE<strong>

**~Charm**


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